INSTITUTE day by day

Deputy Minister of Science, Technology
and Environment of Cuba visited JINR

On 21-22 March, a delegation from the Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment of the Republic of Cuba (CITMA), headed by Deputy Minister Armando Rodriguez Batista visited JINR.

Representatives of the delegation met with JINR Directorate to discuss issues of developing scientific cooperation. Representatives of CITMA took part in the meeting of the Committee of Plenipotentiaries being held these days at JINR. The delegation visited the laboratories of the Institute, where they learnt about the scientific infrastructure and research areas and also held a meeting with Cuban scientists working at JINR.

Having welcomed the guests, JINR Director Grigory Trubnikov noted the long history of cooperation between JINR and the Republic of Cuba. Currently, Cuban scientists, as part of an international team, widely participate in the implementation of the NICA megascience project, making a great contribution not only to the activities of the Institute, but also to world science.

"JINR is always ready to support the initiatives of the Cuban physics community. We are ready to assist both in new research projects and in projects to develop scientific infrastructure in the republic. I believe that the construction of advanced research equipment can make a significant contribution to the development of our bilateral cooperation," Director of the Institute said.

Deputy Minister of Science, Technology and Natural Sciences of the Republic of Cuba Armando Rodriguez Batista thanked JINR Directorate for the opportunity to visit the Mecca of nuclear sciences. Armando Rodriguez Batista identified radiobiology, nuclear medicine and life sciences as priority areas for cooperation.

"I am very pleased to have the opportunity to visit the laboratories of the Institute, as well as to meet with Cuban scientists working in Dubna. I am sure that long and successful cooperation in many projects awaits us ahead. And this visit will open up new opportunities for deepening relations with scientific centres of Latin America. In such turbulent times as these, science becomes a real source of prosperity, uniting us all in joint research work," Armando Rodriguez Batista said.

At the meeting, initiatives to hold scientific schools and internships for scientific personnel, as well as the implementation of programmes for the development of academic mobility of scientific youth were discussed. In order to expand information about JINR to scientific and educational institutions in Cuba, it was proposed to organize a JINR information centre in the republic.

The parties expressed a common opinion on the need to increase human resources. On the eve of the celebration of the 50th anniversary of Cuba's accession to the Joint Institute as a Member State, the parties discussed the possibility of holding JINR Days in Cuba."

One of the key points of the visit programme was the participation of the delegation in the work of the meeting of the JINR Committee of Plenipotentiaries. Armando Rodriguez Batista presented to the CP members the decision of the Cuban Academy of Sciences to assign the status of corresponding member of the academy to Scientific Leader of the Laboratory of Nuclear Reactions of JINR Yuri Oganessian.

During the visit, Armando Rodriguez Batista held a meeting with representatives of the national group of the Republic of Cuba at JINR. As part of their acquaintance with the scientific infrastructure of JINR, the delegation visited the nanocentre of the Laboratory of Nuclear Reactions, as well as the Laboratory of Radiation Biology and the Laboratory of High Energy Physics of JINR.